Happy Holidays!

Aren't the holidays so much more magical with kids? We lived in Korea this time last year and didn't have a Christmas tree - fake trees were so expensive and real trees were nowhere to be found. But this year, we are so excited to have a real Christmas tree again, for the first time with Luisa, our baby.

Last Sunday we drove to Eaton Springs Tree Farm and cut down the perfect fir tree ourselves. After they shook off our tree in a machine, which was so cool to watch, we enjoyed hot cider around the fire pit with the owners and their dog. Luisa, our daughter, loved it, and the owners said we could bring our dogs next year. Their prices are reasonable and we'd highly recommend, if you are thinking about going to a tree farm next holiday season.

Now, the week of Christmas, we finally have the tree decorated (minus glass ornaments, because baby ;). We love it so much, especially after spending three Christmases abroad and tree-less. 

Happy holidays to all of you! I'll take the next week off the blog until the new year. In the meantime, I'll continue to post my best-find deals in my Facebook group. You can expect lots of savings after the holidays! Xoxo, Sarah

Stashing to Save

I have a problem: I like nice things (I mean really nice), but I'm on a strict budget. What's a mom to do? Scour the Internet, of course, to find the items with the best reviews and find the best prices on them.

Amazon Prime is a great way to save money. The Prime subscription more than pays for itself in free 2-day shipping and savings on Subscribe & Save items. I love comparing reviews for similar products to make an informed decision on my purchases - money is precious and limited, after all. I don't want to have to replace something later because it didn't hold up (bonus: less is going to landfills, so this is greener). But my best tip for saving money on the things you want to buy is to wait for a sale (promo code, Lightning Deal, or Deal of the Day) and then jump on it. I do this for toys, clothes, toiletries, and even household and cleaning supplies. You can stash toys away for birthdays and clothing for when your child grows into that size. (I know I'm not the only crazy person with a bin for future clothes!)

If you haven't already liked my Facebook page and joined my Facebook group, I encourage you to do so! This is where I share my best-find deals to help you buy the things you want for a steal. See you there! Xoxo, Sarah

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A2KidsStealsandDeals.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

Date Night at Home

In the fall of 2014, we started a tradition: A weekly date night at home. It started out of necessity for our budget and quickly became something we look forward to every Saturday night.

I chose the recipe for the perfect pasta with creamy mushroom sauce before our very first at-home date night because it was simple, fairly inexpensive, and a meal we'd still crave week after week. That's right, we make the same meal every time, which keeps it low-stress. (Pro tip: Double everything and have more leftovers to make the rest of your weekend easier.) My husband, Juan, is always the cook for this meal, which somehow makes it extra special for both of us. He even likes to tell me to get out of "his" kitchen. :) While he cooks, I set the table properly with cloth napkins, candles, and a decent-yet-cheap bottle of red wine. Juan turns on our dinner party playlist at the last minute because I always forget. The music is key - it sets the mood for us to relax longer at the table and helps us remember what life was like pre-baby, with long, leisurely dinners and drinks. (Think: David Bowie, Peter Björn and John, Elliott Smith, Cut/Copy, Simon & Garfunkel.)

Luisa, our baby, does eat with us, but we make an effort to talk to each other - really talk. Once Juan even pulled up a list of 36 questions to fall in love, which is intended for new couples, but helped steer us away from all the mundane things that take over married conversations so easily. Now that Luisa is older (gulp, 21 months), we might start having our date night dinner after she goes to bed to maintain the date-night vibes.

I highly recommend starting your own date night tradition. It's such a nice way to reconnect after a crazy week. (Isn't it always a crazy week? :)

(Photo via Refinery29)

Running as Free Exercise

Exercise is something near to my heart. I started exercising for the first time in 2008 after a bad breakup and graduating college at the same time and quickly became addicted. I had opened the door to a completely different state of being. Suddenly my anxiety was manageable, and breathing quite literally felt good.

Back then, my family had a gym membership and I went four or five days per week. I loved my elliptical machine and all the classes, especially weights and spinning. I still love spinning, in fact, and have a spinning bike at home that I especially love to use when it's either too hot (not a problem in Michigan) or too icy outside (potentially a problem here).

Then I started grad school and didn't have the time or money to go to a gym. So, for the first time in my life, I tried to run because it was free and I could start from my front door. I quickly learned that you can "run" 7-8 miles in an hour on the elliptical machine with resistance or do hour-long spin classes and be in the best cardio shape of your life, yet can't run a mile straight without walking just a little. And walk-run I did for several years, even through my pregnancy.

...Until I moved to Ann Arbor and joined a running group through Hike it Baby. (Isn't it nice that major life changes, such as graduating college or moving to a new city, are catalysts for other changes?) I joined the group halfway through Couch to 5k training for the Ann Arbor Turkey Trot. C25K works. Now I can finally run not just one, but three miles straight without walking. Even better, I've made my best friends in Ann Arbor through my running group. Before, I couldn't run without my iPod. Now I can't run without my friends!

My husband will say that I need to do more weights, and he's right. Besides the obvious - osteoporosis prevention and raising your metabolism - having more muscle improves your cardio performance and makes it feel even better (spoken like a true cardio high-addict). More on that another time.

If you'd like to share your tips for running or favorite parks for running, I'd love to hear!

(Photo of me and one of my dogs running in Korea three years ago)

What to Do with Your Kids During Winter Break

If you have school-aged children in your house or are a student at the university, winter break means lots of free time for many Ann Arbor families. Here's a round-up of activities that won't break the bank this month:

The popular Classical Bells Holiday Concert will be tomorrow, December 19, at 1:00 pm at the downtown branch of the Ann Arbor District Library. Arrive early!

Visit Santa and have your own ornament painted at Bronner's in Frankenmuth.

Head south to Toledo Zoo's Lights Before Christmas. Pay attention to the special hours and admissions rates (but save $1.00 per ticket by purchasing online!).

Take a day trip to the festive Olde World Canterbury Village and peek in Aldridge's Always Christmas.

Michigan Science Center will have free admission all day on December 26 in celebration of their third birthday.

Now is a great time to purchase a family membership to the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum. It's a great indoor place to play and learn, especially in the winter, and the family membership is actually inexpensive if you go frequently enough.

Visit the University of Michigan Museum of Natural History. Check out the hands-on demo of mammoth and mastadon hunting (for kids age 5+).

Don't forget to go ice skating at one of our local arenas.

The Civic Center Library in Livonia has a dollhouse exhibit through the end of December. The library will be closed December 24-27 and December 31-January 3.

Be sure to join my Facebook group for all the best deals.

And, finally, it looks like it might be a brown Christmas (ha), but in case we have a white Christmas, find a great sledding hill.

Happy Holidays! Xoxo, Sarah

(Photo by me of the Freiburg Christmas Market, my happy place)

Perfect Christmas Gifts

It's one week until Christmas Eve. Has anyone else suddenly realized that they have to find a few more gifts right now? Here are a few lovely little gifts for your neighbors, kids' teachers, party hosts, and anyone else you might not have planned for months in advance. Best of all, they're budget-friendly.

Frasier fir bar soap, $10.50, to make their bathroom smell amazing.

Rose lip balm for your girlfriends, $7.29.

Indulgent dark chocolate with orange and almond, $25.65 for a pack of 12.

The most luxurious hand cream, $12.

A hunk of stinky cheese from the grocery store. At least, this is what I really want.

The best chocolate chip cookies ever, for the cost of whichever ingredients you don't already have.

Do you have a go-to gift that's inexpensive? I'd love to read in the comments. Don't forget to join my Facebook group for all the best holiday deals!

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A2KidsStealsandDeals.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

What to Cook When You're Broke

The holidays can leave you feeling, well, broke. Even with careful budgeting, most people end up pinching pennies before New Year's Eve comes around. To get you through the end of the month, I've rounded up some great, filling recipes for when you're just flat broke.

Spaghetti and eggs. Don't knock it 'til you've tried it. We eat this when we're out of groceries, hungover (it's magic), or just because we're craving it.

Frittata. You can put absolutely anything you have leftover in it.

Shakshuka, especially great when you're already carbed out.

A giant pot of vegetarian chili that will last you all week.

Lentil soup: Red lentils, or any kind of lentils.

My favorite winter stew, four years running. You can use frozen cauliflower and spinach and it'll still be delicious.

No recipe needed: Grown-up grilled cheese (with dijon mustard or sun-dried tomato pesto) and a side of sauteed spinach.

And if you're really desperate, a giant Costco pizza is only $10. :)

What are your go-to recipes when your fridge is nearly empty? I'd love to hear!

P.S. My favorite cookbook and don't forget today's the last day to sign up for the Tantre Farm Solstice Share.

(Image of us in our old dining room by Stephanie Bruce)

Breastfeeding Support

Breastfeeding has been the most salient part of motherhood for me so far, so I wanted to share a local resource here in Ann Arbor that many of my friends have recommended to me. The Breastfeeding Cafe is a free, drop-in group for breastfeeding support. The group meets every Friday at 10:00 am at the Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor (726 Brooks St.). You can find more information here.

La Leche League of Ann Arbor also hosts free breastfeeding support meetings each week. You can find a detailed schedule on the La Leche League of Ann Arbor Facebook page.

How you feed your baby is a very personal choice. I do not have an agenda; I am just providing links to free resources for Ann Arbor mamas who choose to breastfeed. Love to everyone! Sarah xo

(Photo by my husband the day our baby was born :)

Ann Arbor District Library Playgroups and Storytimes

Have you been to any events at the Ann Arbor District Library? They offer so many enriching, free events for babies and preschool-age children.

The playgroup for babies up to 24 months was the first activity I regularly took my baby to when we moved here. It begins with ten minutes of singing (with a banjo musician!), stories, and action songs to foster early literacy and language development, follows with half an hour of free play with more toys than you can possibly imagine, and finishes with a few calming lullabies to transition your little one out of the playgroup. The baby playgroup meets every weekday at a different library branch. You can find the schedule here.

AADL also offers preschool storytimes for 30 minutes each weekday at a different branch; the schedule is here.

Don't forget to look closely at each of those schedules! AADL offers some single events in addition to the daily playgroups and storytimes, such as Dancing Babies and Sensation Stations. Some of these events are in the evenings and on weekends, so working parents can join in.

Finally, if you want to search for events by your library branch, you can search by location here.

Random: I've been watching Friends on Friday nights and just remembered this scene of Phoebe as "the lady singer who tells the truth." :)

Enjoy, and don't forget to join my Facebook group if you haven't already so that you don't miss out on any of my posts or upcoming deals!

Hope You're Having a Great Weekend!

What are you doing this weekend? We're going to a Christmas tree farm to cut down our own Christmas tree. I can't wait.

This still makes me laugh years after I first saw it. Laughter is free and healthy. :)

Don't forget about the U-M Library Used Book Sale tomorrow!

And, lastly, don't forget to join my Facebook group, if you'd like. I share tons of great deals available online and locally.

U-M Library Used Book Sale

A quick post so you don't miss out: The University of Michigan Library annual Used Book Sale will be this Monday, December 14.

Paperback books will be $0.50, while vinyl records, hardcover books, and DVDs will be only $1. Music lovers, rejoice: This year's sale features lots of vintage vinyl records!

The sale will take place 10 a.m.-10 p.m. in the Gallery (Room 100) of the Hatcher Graduate Library at 913 S. University Ave.

(Via MLive)

Tantre Farm Solstice CSA Share

It might be warm this week, but winter is coming. In the dead of winter, I usually end up craving exactly what I can't have...fresh, local produce. The local CSA (community-supported agriculture) season ended in October and the Ann Arbor Farmer's Market is no longer open Wednesday mornings, so options are slim this time of year.

Deb and Richard of Tantre Farm in Chelsea, MI, are offering a one-time Solstice Share for $85 for pickup on Saturday, December 19. The share will offer the best from their root cellar for roasting, slaws, and soups, including purple and orange carrots, beets, several kinds of potatoes, rutabaga, Daikon radishes, watermelon radishes, and turnips. Green cabbage, several kinds of winter squash, onions, and hopefully spinach will also be included. For this special CSA share, they are collaborating with local artisans and farmers to round out the share with a bag of tender pea shoots from Garden Works Organic Farm, a loaf of hearty bread from The Mother Loaf Breads, and a jar of tasty fermented vegetables from The Brinery. You can sign up for the Solstice Share here, if you'd like, by December 16.

My family joined Tantre Farm's CSA share this summer and we loved having fresh, local produce every week. It's a great way to eat the healthy food we love, save money, and support a local farm. The shares are bountiful. I saved many of our winter squash and root vegetables to use throughout the fall and winter. I prepped and froze greens (turnip, beet, kale, spinach, collard, etc.) to make amazing frittatas all winter. My freezer is also full of Tantre Farm's delicious corn so that I can make corn chowder and enjoy the sweet taste of summer in the middle of winter. 

If you join or renew in the spring, CSA members are also welcome to come to Tantre Farm to pick raspberries and flowers themselves most weeks in the summer. I took my baby almost every week. We loved eating raspberries as we picked them, visiting the pigs and chickens, and bringing home a beautiful bouquet of flowers. 

Let me know in the comments if you know of other farms in Ann Arbor or Metro Detroit offering one-time CSA shares this winter!

(Photos of us picking flowers at Tantre Farm)

Free Bike Lights for Ann Arborites

Many of us, my husband included, ride bikes to commute in Ann Arbor. If you need a bike light, the city of Ann Arbor has expanded their free bike light program to all residents, whether or not they work downtown.

The city is providing bike lights to increase cyclist visibility in response to recent cycling deaths. Cyclists in Michigan are required to use front and back lights between 30 minutes after sunset and 30 minutes before sunrise.

Downtown employees should pick up their bike lights at the Blake Transit Center. All other residents should email walkbikedrive@a2gov.org.

Stay safe!

(Via MLive)

Ice Skating in Ann Arbor

As a follow-up to my last post on swimming lessons, I thought it would be seasonally appropriate to share information about Ann Arbor's ice skating rinks.

Update: Reader Cheryl shared that University of Michigan's Yost ice arena on State St. offers $3 skate at noon Monday-Friday. Skate rental is only $2! "Arrive at 11:30 to park, pay for skating, and get skates on. Skate 12-12:50. Perfect if your kids are learning ([and you're] bending over the whole time to help them), or three hour skate is too long. Fun to skate the 'M' in the center, they usually play 1980's hits, not too crowded, beautiful architecture." She also writes to check first because they sometime cancel noon skate for other events. Find more information here.

Buhr Park has an outdoor ice skating arena and is open from October 31 to April 3, 2016. The public skating schedule is pretty accomodating: Sunday, 3:15-5:30 p.m.; Tuesday, 7:45-8:45 p.m. (half price and broom ball); Wednesday, 4:45-5:45 p.m. (half price and broom ball) and 7:15-8:45 p.m.; Thursday and Friday, 7:15-8:45 p.m.; Saturday, 2:30-4:30 p.m. and 7:15-8:45 p.m. You can find more information and a list of special events here.

For days when you just cannot imagine staying outdoors, Veterans Park has an indoor ice arena. General skate hours are Tuesday and Wednesday, 1:20-2:45 p.m.; Thursday, 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 1:00-2:30 p.m. Adult skate hours are Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, 11:10 a.m. to 1:10 p.m. and Friday, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. You can find more information, including special events and skating and hockey lessons, here. (Kinderskate starts at age 3.5!)

Public skating fees are the same at both parks: $5 admission for residents, $6 for non-residents, and $3 skate rental.

Enjoy the season! If you know of other good ice skating rinks in the Metro Detroit area, please share in the comments!

Affordable Swim Classes

I've been on the hunt for affordable swim classes for kids since I moved to Ann Arbor. Classes within Ann Arbor were way out of my family's budget! Luckily, one of my friends mentioned the Saline Rec Center. Unlike other pools and rec centers, no membership is required to enroll in classes, and the classes themselves are much more budget-friendly. Six weeks of classes cost just $48-$66.

You can find more information, such as class descriptions and schedules, on pages 6-8 of the Saline Parks and Rec Program Brochure here.

Happy swimming! If you know of other budget-friendly swimming classes for tots, please share in the comments! Love, Sarah xo

First Steps Winter Registration Now Open

First Steps offers some of the most affordable classes for preschool-age children and babies. Winter registration began today and continues into January, but classes fill up fast! (Especially the Music Together class, from what I've heard! There's even a lottery to get into this class.) You can find the Winter 2016 class schedule here.

The cost is $145 for a 12-week class and $99 for a second class; Jump into Speech is $73. You can use the coupon code FSWIn16 to register online. Don't forget to apply for a scholarship with Ann Arbor Rec & Ed if your family is low income (more information here). Scholarship applications take a week or two to process and should be turned in at the Rec & Ed office at Pioneer High School.

If you and your child have taken a First Steps class and would like to recommend it, please share in the comments!

Best Sledding Hills for Littles in Ann Arbor

The first snowstorm of the season already hit before Thanksgiving this year! It seems to be warming up this week. While we enjoy these last mild days on the playgrounds with our little ones, I wanted to share a list of great sledding hills for toddlers and preschool-age children in Ann Arbor. What's cheaper than sledding? Nothing, my friends.

Magic Mountain at Burns Park is the townie favorite. Don't know what "Magic Mountain" is? You'll know it when you see it!

County Farm Park, my perennial favorite, has lots of small hills that are perfect for your little ones. You don't have to venture deep into the park to find good ones!

Huron Hills Golf Course has tall and small hills alike for daredevils of all sizes.

Buhr Park has a small hill at the end of the road. Bonus: leave your car nearby to warm up!

Barton Hills Country Club has a beautiful hill right next to the main club building.

Montibeller Park has a nice, big hill with nothing to run into.

Crest and Liberty also has a nice hill with nothing at the bottom (it's believed to be a soccer field, but who can remember in the winter?). 

Veterans Memorial Park is a great sledding location for all of you westsiders!

Hunt Park, Rolling Hills Park, and Leslie Science Center have steep hills, but may be more appropriate for bigger kids.

It's worth noting that sledding is forbidden in Nichols Arboretum, although a snowy winter walk there sounds lovely. :) 

Thank you to my Hike it Baby friends for sharing some of your favorite sledding spots! Readers, do you know of other great sledding hills for little kids? Please share in the comments! Love, Sarah xo

Introduction

Hi, I'm Sarah, and as a mom on a shoestring budget I'm always on the prowl for free or inexpensive activities and deals. Having kids is expensive, and many of us are pinching pennies in Ann Arbor as we  or our partners become overeducated. ;) Luckily, there are a lot of ways to have fun with your kids without spending a lot of money!

Many of the activities I share will focus on babies, toddlers, and preschool-age kids because that's who we tote around with us all day. In addition to local deals, I will share online deals so you can save on basics and score on clothes and toys. Be sure to let me know if you see something you like or would like to share something new.

So sit back and enjoy as I share my tips on making Ann Arbor affordable with kids. Thanks for reading! Lots of love, Sarah xo